Posts Tagged ‘DJ BeTray’

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It’s been a long time DJ BeTray Fam!!! I’ve missed mixing for you, but you know how it goes… sometimes life can take us away from what we love to do so we can focus on what we need to do. But I’m back! I thought it best I get back in the swing of things by paying homage to the music of my city. This Sounds Like Washington Vol. 3 is full of DC classics. While the music spans from the 70’s to the 2000’s the theme of this mix is consistent. There is a longing for love and unfulfilled companionship expressed in each of these tunes. As with all of the Sounds Like Washington mixes, most of the music here is inspired by the incomparable sound of WHUR FM. For many of you listening from outside the Washington area, some of this music will be new to you because it’s not played anywhere else. As always thank you for your support. While it’s almost been a year since my last mix, you all have kept the traffic and good feelings flowing on this site. Thank you, thank you and as always… Love!

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In the late 1990’s former WHUR FM Program Director David Dickinson changed the sound of Washington radio by infusing 96.3’s airwaves with his personal taste. This Song of the Moment is a product of his genius “ear”. Come Here Baby was released by Grainger, a relatively unknown Baltimore band. The jazzy R&B tune features Baltimore singer Maysa who had made a name for herself with British jazz band Incognito. She sang lead on the hits Deep Water and A Shade of Blue. Come Here Baby became an instant DC favorite in 1998 and is still played in heavy rotation on HUR. I’m shouting out Dickinson because I truly appreciate his contribution to the renaissance of WHUR. During part of his tenure, WHUR was #1 across all radio formats in the Washington market and it was the first urban radio station to surpass talk radio in DC. While some connected the station’s historic success to its broadcasting the Tom Joyner Morning Show – it’s clear to me that it was the innovative music that carried WHUR listeners throughout the day. But all good things must come to an end and I for one have noticed a change in the station since Dickinson’s departure. I’m happy I’ve found a way to mention his contribution since this is part of the reason for DJBeTray.com. Good music will always be created, selected and played by those who know it when they hear it and not by a computer model or demographic surveys. I’m thankful to all the music lovers who have influenced me and therefore influenced this site. Please enjoy this Song of the Moment which is also featured on my latest mix, Sounds Like Washington Vol. 3

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While I love keeping it underground and old school… changing things up is in my name, “BeTray” – and that’s exactly what I’m doing with this mix.

Day parties are wassup in DC right now. They start around 3PM and go until. They happen inside of some of DC’s hottest clubs and lounges. If you came to one of DC’s day parties, this is what you’d most likely hear. This is a straight Top 40 Hip-Hop and R&B mixtape with a splash of Go-go.

I was playing this mix for one of my girl’s the other day and she called it, “guilty pleasure music,” that’s so true. While my people and I can sometimes be music elitists, we like to get it in too. Play this mix at your next party. Love!

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“Nice and warm, a quiet storm, quiet as when flowers talk at break of dawn.” Quiet Storm Lyrics by Smokey Robinson

Smokey Robinson said after a powerful storm, it was the feeling in the air that inspired the tune that would go on to resurrect his R&B career. The song Quiet Storm proved to be much more than a sexy slow groove. What Robinson felt in that after-storm air we now hear on the airwaves in cities around the world. It’s the sound of love pinned to slow tempo music that we call slow jams. Melvin Lindsey is the father of the format dedicated to this sound and the creator of the first Quiet Storm radio show. This is the second mix that I’ve complied in honor of his work. In this mix you’ll hear some Quiet Storm classics and Lindsey favorites from Labelle to Sylvester.

Melvin’s Quiet Storm of Melodies continues to be the most popular mix downloaded here at DJ BeTray.com. I’m so happy that so many Quiet Storm fans have found their way to my site. Now I’m hoping that you’ll be just as happy with the 2nd volume showcasing the unique blend of slow jams Lindsey created and perfected. Close your eyes and imagine the sounds of 96.3 WHUR pouring out of the radio and flowing through the DC night air in the 80’s. Hear the sweet and comforting voice of Lindsey making it all alright with the promise of playing another slow jam you’ll love. Enjoy & Love!

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I love this song, I even loved the album cover! And while the band The Family may have been a short lived Prince concoction; it has left me with one of my favorite musical creations. I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it. That love was cemented by the group’s sexy video that featured Jerome Benton of the Time and their cutting edge fashion statement of silk pajamas (CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO). They were hot and full of soul. But like so many of Paisley Park’s proteges, his Purple Badness’s tight grip choked the life out of The Family. At least I’m left with the memories or perhaps the fantasy of what could have been. I say fantasy since Prince actually wrote, performed and sang most of the music associated with this single. The group’s lead vocals were later added. Enjoy the extended version of 1985’s Screams of Passion. Who knows… perhaps this may the beginning of a new Prince inspired mix; although I’m afraid that could send my mind into creative overload. Love!